Endowment Funds and Green Bumper Stickers

Governor Beshear of Kentucky announced last night his first budget proposal and the whining hasn't stopped since. The hardest hit, according to the one that is the supposedly hardest hit, is higher education. Lee Todd, the president of the University of Kentucky, is upset that that there will be a 12% reduction to the state's universities and community colleges. Meanwhile, fundraising was up again last year as the endowment fund for UK ballooned to a reported $831 million. Some dire straits they are in, huh? Tuition increases will be announced soon, along with cuts in campus security I'm sure. Meanwhile, in Bloomington, the endowment is just shy of a billion. That's right, with a B. $955 million makes it one of the top ten endowments in the country. No wonder they can contribute so much to the Baron Hill campaign. Bring on higher tuition so the students can start their careers with mountains of student loan debt. When they pay it off in twenty years they can contribute to the endowment.

Anyone remember seeing those green bumper stickers that were all the rage ten or fifteen years ago? They simply said "Build the Bridge." Now we all knew what bridge they were referring to - the east end bridge. Indiana had enough forward thinking to build 265 right up close to the river, because everyone knows that is where the bridge will be. Fast forward to 2008 and nothing has really changed. Countless environmental studies and design votes have taken place. Indiana has identified the houses it will remove and started the process of removing them. Kentucky has rebuilt one ramp on the Snyder. Yawn. Let me tell the 8664 guys one thing. I could care less if they remove it from the riverfront or not. It never should have been there in the first place. But, we all know that we definitely need and east end bridge. So let's get started already. And by the way, Mike Sodrel was blasted for even considering a toll to pay for the bridge. Now the democrat leaders in Kentucky say it is the only way to get it done. Wow, now that's full circle. We can get it done without the toll, just take a look at how other states have gotten it done. Either way, can we just start building it already? And does anyone know where I can find one of those green bumper stickers?